Genesis 50:24 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And Joseph said to his brothers, "I am about to die, but God will visit you and bring you up out of this land to the land that he swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob."

NIV: Then Joseph said to his brothers, "I am about to die. But God will surely come to your aid and take you up out of this land to the land he promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob."

NASB: Joseph said to his brothers, 'I am about to die, but God will assuredly take care of you and bring you up from this land to the land which He promised on oath to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.'

CSB: Joseph said to his brothers, "I am about to die, but God will certainly come to your aid and bring you up from this land to the land he swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob."

NLT: Soon I will die,' Joseph told his brothers, 'but God will surely come to help you and lead you out of this land of Egypt. He will bring you back to the land he solemnly promised to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.'

KJV: And Joseph said unto his brethren, I die: and God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land unto the land which he sware to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.

NKJV: And Joseph said to his brethren, “I am dying; but God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land to the land of which He swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.”

The once-hated younger brother, sold as a slave (Genesis 37:26–28) has spent the last eighty years as a powerful ruler in Egypt (Genesis 41:44–46; 50:22). He has lived a good, long life, and at the end his focus is the same as that of his father Jacob. Egypt has been good to Joseph and to his family (Genesis 47:5–6), but the people of God are not meant to stay in Egypt forever.

Prophetically, Joseph tells his gathered family that God will visit them at some point. The Lord will keep the promises made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Genesis 17:5–8). That means bringing the people of Israel (Genesis 35:10–11) out of Egypt and back to Canaan to take ownership of it.

The mention of Joseph's brothers here may refer to their sons or the representative heads of their families. It's unknown how many of the original twelve were still living by the time Joseph reached 110 years of age. Ten of his brothers were older than him. Only Benjamin was younger. Most likely, at least some of the older brothers have already passed away.

Genesis 50:22–26 finds Joseph at the very end of his life. He is 110 years old and has lived to see his great-great-grandchildren. Before he dies, he assures his family that God's promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob still hold true. God will visit them and bring them to Canaan. Joseph makes his family swear to carry his remains back to the Promised Land, one day. After Joseph dies, his body is embalmed and placed in a coffin.

Genesis 50 begins with Joseph's weeping over his father's body, followed by the embalming of Jacob, a 70–day period of state mourning, and a trip to Canaan to bury Jacob with his fathers. Joseph's brothers, worried that he would take his revenge on them for selling him into slavery, seek Joseph's forgiveness. He assures them he will not harm them. The chapter skips to the end of Joseph's life. After assuring his people that God will return them to Canaan one day, Joseph dies and is embalmed.

After settling in Egypt, under his son's protection (Genesis 47—49), Jacob dies (Genesis 49:33). He is embalmed and all of Egypt mourns. Joseph buries his father in the family tomb in Canaan, then returns to Egypt. He asks that his body be taken back to Canaan someday. This sets up the events of the book of Exodus. Over centuries, Israel will grow into a prosperous people, only to be enslaved by a jealous Egyptian monarchy. This provides a context for God to rescue Israel and demonstrate His power.

The book of Genesis establishes fundamental truths about God. Among these are His role as the Creator, His holiness, His hatred of sin, His love for mankind, and His willingness to provide for our redemption. We learn not only where mankind has come from, but why the world is in its present form. The book also presents the establishment of Israel, God's chosen people. Many of the principles given in other parts of Scripture depend on the basic ideas presented here in the book of Genesis. Within the framework of the Bible, Genesis explains the bare-bones history of the universe leading up to the captivity of Israel in Egypt, setting the stage for the book of Exodus.